NORTHERN UNION FOOTBALL.

Auckland Star, Volume L, Issue 189, 11 August 1919, Page 8

NORTHERN UNION FOOTBALL.

CUP STAYS HERE. JIA.VKE'S BAY'S PIA'CKY EIGHT. A GRIM RESISTANCE. ____) TIIKX Till-: DEBACLE. -Hnc thousand would be a fair estimate ol" the size of the crowd that gathered together on Eden Park on Saturday afternoon to watch the Auckland i_a,-Ue representative team meet and defeat the thirteen men who came up from llawkc'a T'f-.y seven days ago to try to carry away the Northern Union Challenge tup that has had its home in this city for many a J -ear now. The home team defeated "the visitors after their week's practice on iVict-oria Park by the rather alarming margin of ,'IS points to l.'l, and the game ■was won and the (.'up was held simply and solely by reason of the Aueklanu _ack department, which showed itself to be much faster individually and a good more expert mechanically than the limit was pitted against. Spasms of individual brilliance occurred with a certain amount ol" regularity throughout the rather one-sided contest, but the match as a game was inclined to be a trifle scrappy. Possibly this may have been because the visitors lost a little of the spirit they certainly had manifested during the beginning and ic. the middle of the match, but nevertheless the result should not be take,, too literally, for the fact was that the points made by Auckland always came when the pame was opened up. Rut w lien the light was close the Hawke's Bay pack more than held its own. This indeed was the outstanding feature of tin- afternoon— the manifest superiority of tin- Auckland hacks in the open work and the slight -ntoriority of the home team when it came to close business. The visitors set the game -*oinß an 1 f - eight mi:nites th.-y hehf'the ;~U-_u'.a.-c l.it could not get t_rough the local defence ' The I-lay ran backwards and forward's i„ dangerous quarters for Auckland until He ball came on: to Davidson but 'he mulled Jadly. Uawke's Ray gained n,. advantage from the default, and the home p..k settling down, pushed the leaUier on til' _he ruck broke loose, ami l-alug seized __ opening and sent out to lladdoii The hi" Auckland forward mad- ~,. mis. ike 'v his taking, and stn.de forward, swinging 'round end grounding the ball under the ;>-.- ----Dotty kicked it, putting Auckland five js-inrs np. The team from the South were more th-in ' holding their own for quite a long n,,,, after Ibis first score, but they made ihe mistake of working a loose attack, and Nc-i. swung it out to Laiug, to lies, who made much ground and an opening, aud thei. pui an easy pass to Davidson. The siss-e.lv wing i s:ad simply to run, and he made an easy try, j which Lui'ty had no Uitilculty in goaiiug. From the kick-out the visitors held <he best of it. Their pack was .. .-_ ;•'.•- w ,-- but their backs had llmftaiiou-. e.-ie,.2Uy ' w-hen Jt came to ihe open work 'Tee im y I relief Auckland had was when they 1.-.,e_ed i 3he game and had iheir las- 1.g.-k's iv w..rk- I 5-ng order, liown by the Auckland tueutvlive the defending backs were [.en.iiise.l i.'.r ' o-structioa, and Mi-Carthy took a ki.-i. ut atHitit thirty yards. gcUitig the bull there i witli nothing to spare. Play was fairly close iv the neutral zone for a ._uite a long while, and a scrum on ihe ' mid-line developed into a ru.-k. but the bail i slid out to Meal, to Laiug, to Dun... ... l_._, and the last-named weui through w;;h ll! lJufty couldn't miss it. Hawse's Ray again held Anckia:. 1 rhiuk ins. and this time the defenders' etforts to v.ork the game loose avau.-.i nothing, and •the scrimmage was won t._ in.- aua'.-kiug lack. l-'ulforU _~»: i:. an.l put :- i., McCarthy. He put i; ba.-k lo in,- hail", and when liut'ry put bun in in- turn -. , in,s.r„mi,l. lie sent a neat litiie i-ass out to -McCarthy again, and the New /.e-ulatid rep. j -ived through, and made the fir-i tlavvki-s Bay try. Tn_ same player mis.-..: ;n,- ki, ... Before many tmntites were gone :ue o.ili siipj.ed out ;,. I'uti;.. ;,, M.-tin-gor on tne blind si.ie. ami ba.-k ,v to liut.v again. He walked over n.-ar tue corner, bu; .his kick ! -was in. far tor him. The play that followed was fairly close. I and Sli-i arthy distinguished huis.-ii i,.\ lus »-lean tackling w-heu in.- Auckland \Kuk j tried to loose- it '■:;; t,, i.ieir lacks. .Newmore or 1.-ss ~t a .i.-ar field m in.al ~r him. Avery was running v.iih niui. i »>k it well. ' and &..,r.-d auotuer try thai -iiitiy goalcu. I i'ht spell ci..,e-: Auckland _:, llawke s Bay ~ MeCartliy went ba.-k to'full for Hawke's Bay. ch-angiug places with Atw I. and the jjame ran very < lose for a few minutes after the interval, -and it was n., good for Auckland. Rut the essential busim-s i.iv verj oiOKe until Jack_ou, the llivwke's Ha'v Eldpper, made a gr_n; run across, ano grounded the bail in easy distance put tailed to gual it. A good forward movement was inau-u- ' rated by Xewdlck, Haddoii. Avery. Ileiauder I and I-awry, and Avery and HI addon kept it going after Ihe others dropped ..in. Had_on gathered the leather in and uia<le a good ; run, but At wood grounded bun willnu two yard_ of the line. Atwo.nl punted the sphere i into s-afety. This punt led to gn-al deeds by the visiting forwards, ami iu-v made merry at ihe home pack's expense until - just on the fringe of the neutral zone Jackton gained possession, and streaked over the line. He goaled his kick, i,„,. The struggle was a , lose one t',,r the most i>art, until again lui-Auckland pack soul th. ball away out behind ilieiu. I; shot out ; along the whole chain of the backs, and ' MWlregor made a lii'illiuul run round ihe defence, hurdled Aiw-ood, and laud.-d iv tj.-e arms of Met arthy. the lull. Hut lie gained : the try. linfty addiug the other points Willi ! a. lovely kick. Iv the next five minutes lies work.-d the blind side of the s.-ruui and ran away. Hot hub of the visitors geitiug uear him. Again I Iratty goaled. ;' The next eucro-a.-blii.-lit upon the Hawke's i Bay ground was made by lb,- Auckland pack in a body, and Avery was almost over. I luil was -grassed and lladdon continued the ! niovemeut past tin- defenders' Hue. iiiiliy I tacked on two more points. 'ihe maich ended: Auckland :'... 'Bawkc's Bay l_ ?.lr. A. l-'ergusou was referee. THE AUSTRALIAN TOl'R. j FIRST MATCH IN WKLI.IM 11. IX. Th>.- Austn_iau team will arrive in New Zealaud, according !•> the laics: advices, i— time to play the first match ~n th,. p, ; /. vi (Reserve in Wellington ..n Saturday fortnight, August :_.':. lis lull itinerary has not j-tt becu announced. LEAlit'K TKAMS VISIT. (itcceived 11.3 a.m.) SYDNEY, liiis day. *i\\Q Rugby League team is booked to sail for .New Zealand this wc-k if a steamer offers. —i.A. and N.Z. Cable.) | Fo!_-ITII Gl__D.-. j Maritime s itri.-s i,y Slmrpc anil Ilcnnett, goal by llerdi. beat Newtou o (try by Winks goal by I'urdiei. City Hovers :Hi (tries by Bauren ill), Cole |2). _l_ions t.-i. Home 1. Kicl.ar.l on. P.aurtu gtnd Itoss converted one euehi beat Sunnyijide 2 (penalty goal by Hands). FIFTH (JRADE. City 41. beat Noithcote <>.